After a brief conversation, and learning all their names, the moment didn't last. One by one, the beasts were dragged away by the Gedo Statue.
Rain began to pour on the destroyed land. Only rubble was left on the land, water seeping through the cracks as it filled the whole quickly becoming a huge pond.
Naruto pulled Kurama's form back into his body, the chakra settling within him. They all landed on the water.
The next moment, the air twisted.
Space itself warped inward like a collapsing vortex, pulling shadows into a single point before snapping back out. From that distortion, a figure stepped forward as if emerging from another layer of reality.
Obito.
Behind him, towering over the battlefield like a grotesque monument, stood the Gedo Statue. Its massive form loomed in silence, veins pulsing faintly across its stone-like body as if something inside it was waking up.
"You're a tricky bunch," Obito said, his voice calm but laced with cold certainty. "Not that it matters anymore. None of you can stop me from completing my goal."
"Cap," Naruto said flatly.
The word cut through the tension like a thrown stone.
Obito blinked, his expression shifting ever so slightly behind the mask as he turned his head toward Naruto.
"…What do you mean, 'cap'?"
Naruto shrugged, completely unfazed. "Cap. I call cap on that statement."
A brief silence followed.
Obito's eye narrowed. "What does 'cap' stand for?"
Naruto grinned. "It stands for cap."
A faint breeze passed through the battlefield.
Obito stared at him for a second longer before slowly shaking his head.
"Your games aren't as amusing as you think," he said, voice dropping colder. "When I'm done with you all, you won't be—"
"Let's just fight, mate," Naruto cut in, already stepping forward. "I'm not in the mood for some dumb monologue."
The air grew heavy.
Obito's killing intent spilled out like a suffocating wave, pressing down on everything in the vicinity. The ground seemed to tremble under the weight of it, and even the wind stilled.
"…Fine," Obito said quietly. "I'll hold you all here until the Gedo Statue finishes its change."
He raised his hand.
Red, flame-like chakra ignited across his fingers dark and violent, flickering unnaturally as if it fed on something deeper than normal chakra. Without hesitation, he slammed his palm into the ground.
The moment his hand made contact a blood-red barrier erupted outward.
It spread in a perfect rectangular formation, rising instantly around the Gedo Statue like walls of solidified energy. The surface shimmered faintly, pulsing with an oppressive aura that made it clear this wasn't something that could be broken casually.
It sealed the statue completely.
"Now…" Obito said, lifting his head slowly as the red glow reflected off his mask. "Let's dance."
Naruto visibly cringed.
'He's really overdoing this Madara thing,' he thought, rolling his eyes slightly as he kept walking forward. 'He's supposed to be here by now… guess Kabuto ran into some problems.'
Still, his expression sharpened as he stepped closer, the air around him shifting subtly.
Kakashi, standing behind Naruto, glanced down at himself, flexing his fingers slightly. He felt completely rejuvenated, as if he hadn't fought at all.
The same went for Gai, he was back in tiptop shape, rolling his shoulders as if testing his body.
'That's the chakra that healed Naruto every time he got hurt. It's from the Nine-Tails… but it feels warm. Guess they really are free now,' Kakashi thought.
Naruto turned to Kakashi and Gai behind him, his expression sharpening slightly.
"I'm gonna need you two here. He's pretty much intangible… but I have a theory. I wanna test it out," he said.
"No problem, Naruto. What did you have in mind?" Kakashi asked, his gaze already focused.
Naruto smirked and reached out, placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.
The moment he did, Kakashi felt it.
Chakra vast and overwhelming flowed into his body. It wasn't wild or unstable; it was controlled, almost comforting, yet undeniably powerful. It surged through his system, filling every pathway.
His eye twitched.
In an instant, his Sharingan shifted, evolving into the Mangekyo.
Naruto pulled his hand back, then quickly explained his theory to both Kakashi and Gai. His words were short, direct.
Kakashi listened carefully, then gave a small nod.
"Alright."
He adjusted his stance slightly, eyes narrowing.
"Get ready," Naruto said, his voice steady.
"I'll send the signal. Let's go Gai-sensei"
" For Youth!"
The two sprinted across the water's surface, their steps light but fast, ripples spreading behind them as rain poured down in sheets.
Gai reached Obito first, driving a straight punch toward his face, only for it to pass clean through as Obito's body flickered intangible.
He didn't stop flowing straight into a spinning kick, then a low sweep, chaining his attacks with sharp precision but every strike met nothing but air.
Naruto followed right behind, a Rasengan forming in his palm as he thrust it forward, aiming for Obito's chest, yet it slipped through just the same.
He adjusted instantly, throwing a quick jab, then a kick, trying to catch the timing but nothing connected.
Gai appeared at Obito's flank again, unleashing a rapid barrage of punches, each one fast enough to blur, yet Obito remained calm, unmoving, letting every attack phase through him effortlessly.
Water splashed, rain hammered down, and despite their speed and coordination not a single hit landed.
Yet that was Naruto's plan all along.
The moment Obito finished speaking, Naruto's forward momentum shifted. Instead of charging blindly, he planted his foot and leaped back, creating distance in a single fluid motion.
His hand moved to his pouch with practiced ease, fingers closing around a kunai already fitted with a paper tag.
He flicked his wrist and threw.
The kunai sliced through the air at high speed, spinning cleanly as it shot straight toward Obito's masked face.
Obito didn't move. From his perspective, it was just another failed attack but that was the signal.
At the exact moment the kunai reached his mask.
Kakashi's eye sharpened.
' Kamui!!'
Space twisted silently around the weapon, distorting just enough for the kunai to partially phase out of Obito's dimension. It didn't pass cleanly through him this time. For a split second, it existed where it shouldn't , aligned with his real body.
Obito didn't notice. He thought it had simply gone through him again.
BOOOOM!
The paper bomb detonated point-blank against his face.
The explosion roared outward, fire and smoke erupting violently as the shockwave pushed Obito backward. His body stumbled, balance breaking as debris scattered across the ground.
Fragments of his mask shattered apart, pieces flying off and clattering against the dirt.
For the first time, he was exposed.
"It worked!" Gai shouted, eyes wide with genuine shock. "Wow! How did you figure that out!?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head casually, though his eyes stayed locked on Obito.
"It was just a theory," he said.
Kakashi didn't respond.
His gaze remained fixed on the man in front of them, his expression tightening slightly beneath the mask.
Because this confirmed it. The way Kamui had interacted with Obito the shared space distortion. There was no more doubt left.
'So it really is the same ability…' Kakashi thought, his eye narrowing. 'That means—'
Obito stood up the next moment, no longer covered by the mask. Gai's eyes widened, and so did Kakashi's. He already knew but it still shocked him.
Naruto simply smirked. 'Obito Uchiha. You show your face finally… I mean, you finally show your face. Am I dyslexic?' he thought.
TO BE CONTINUED